Lee High's Rayon Calhoun throws to first to complete the double play as Abilene High's Mark Pearson tries to block him Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Lee High's Rayon Calhoun throws to first to complete the double play as Abilene High's Mark Pearson tries to block him Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

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Lee High's Austin Maddox safely dives back to first on a pickoff attempt by Abilene High Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Lee High's Austin Maddox safely dives back to first on a pickoff attempt by Abilene High Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

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Abilene High's Connor Durrington beats the throw to second on a pickoff attempt as Lee High's Blake Kizer reaches for the ball Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Abilene High's Connor Durrington beats the throw to second on a pickoff attempt as Lee High's Blake Kizer reaches for the ball Tuesday afternoon at Ernie Johnson Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

HS BASEBALL: Defensive play at home plate lifts Lee past AHS

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As soon as the fly ball went soaring toward a right fielder just 16 games into his high school career, Lee senior Clay Marburger was confident that the ensuing catch and throw was going to make it to home plate.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Garrett Chalker showed just how well his teammate knows him, reeling in the first out of the seventh and firing a rope that practically whistled to home plate to beat Abilene High speedster Derek Scott for the second to last out in a one-run game.

"Behind the catcher, (I was) just standing there," Marburger said. "I knew it was a good throw."

Marburger fanned the next batter to end the game, preserving a 1-0 victory against Abilene High for the upstart Rebels just a week after falling by the same score to Odessa Permian.

"After my day at the plate," said Chalker, who went down swinging in all three plate appearances, "I kind of forgot about all of that."

The play by Chalker ensured that the efforts of another freshman, pitcher Evan Mata, didn't go for naught as Mata picked up the win with six shutout innings and just three hits allowed.

Early on, Lee (7-10, 2-1 in District 2-5A) didn't fare much better at the plate, stranding five runners in scoring position in the first four innings and getting just four hits off of Eagle starter Mark Pearson heading into sixth.

Pearson retired the first two Rebels to the plate in the sixth before junior Blake Kizer ripped a two-out single to left to set up the heroics of sophomore Austin Maddox.

Maddox -- the talk of the crowd early Tuesday for his choice in walk-up music, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen -- delighted the crowd late with his game-winning RBI single to right for the only run of the game. Maddox was 2 for 3 on the day with the RBI that was long overdue for his team, Rebel coach Brian Roper said.

"We finally got one through there -- it's been a while," Roper said. "We've left a lot of people in scoring position in close games."

Yet Mata, who Roper said looked sharp after a light week between his last start, threw his first two walks of the game to start the seventh before Marburger came on and walked the bases loaded.

"I wasn't loose," said Marburger, who never lost his cool. "I was mentally ready, but I wasn't physically read to throw."

But Marburger got a helping hand when the next batter, Gabriel Chacon, lifted a 1-1 pitch to right that appeared good for a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Chalker, however, saved the run -- and perhaps the game -- with his jaw-dropping throw from right, which catcher Hunter Coleman caught on a short hop and turned to tag out an incredulous Scott.

"You can be 0 for 5 with four sombreros and come up and hit the game-winning hit," Roper said. "In (Chalker's) case, he was 0 for 3 and had a chance to win the ball game there."

The sequence only energized Marburger, who was no longer concerned with his slow start.

"I was confident then," Marburger said. "Then I was ready to get up there and get after that last batter."

Marburger did just that, striking out Connor Nichols for the final out and giving his team confidence heading into its first meeting with crosstown rival Midland High at 7 p.m. Thursday at Christensen Stadium.